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Is Minimalism the Secret to Hello Kitty's Success?
>> MIKE: Here’s an idea: Hello Kitty used minimalism to build a consumer empire. music With her itty bitty bow and ginormous noggin, Hello Kitty is one of the world’s most recognized icons. Ever since her birth date in 1974, Kitty White, as is her given name, has been shilling for Sanrio. Both her and her products are adored the world over. From pens, coin purses, and hats to toasters, condoms, M-16s, sausages, tampons, and, of course, coffins. I mean people stuff just because her face is on it. laughter What is it that makes this kitty so likeable? Is it that she is totally kawaii? Probably. ding Is it that she’s frequently well dressed? I bet. ding Is it that you can project your innermost, secretest emotions, desires, and ambitions onto Hello Kitty thus making her a kind of token for your hopes and dreams? …Could be. ding When Hello Kitty creator Yuko Shimizu first made Kitty, she left her without a mouth, providing no clues as to her disposition. Whatever the consumer is feeling, Kitty is also feeling. She is actually saying more by saying less. Adding a mouth to Hello Kitty- meow -would give something away. It’s actually a nonessential element. And in this way, Kitty actually has something in common with minimalism, an artistic style that is all about essential elements. Can you take anything away from the normal Hello Kitty representation and still have it be our beloved Kitty? Let’s see what happens? No bow? She’s just a cat cartoon. No whiskers, she’s not a cat anymore. No ears and she’s a weird, oval... thingy. Though Kitty does say more with less it’s hard to say Kitty is a piece of minimalist artwork. She’s more a piece of consumer culture that borrows from minimalism’s bag of tricks. Some of minimalism’s most respected practitioners, like Barnett Newman, Donald Judd, and Sol LeWitt, were working with simple and often repetitive shapes. Sometimes very colorful, but, and this is important, lacking signification. A kitty contains way too meaning. But if she’s not really minimalism, then what is she? To answer this question, we turn to SUPERFLAT. Japanese artist Tikashi Murakami coined SUPERFLAT to describe a kind of art and culture based upon product and fantasy, on obessive collection, and otaku. This is the same mentality that birthed Pokemon’s gotta-catch-them-all mentality and that supports the collection of anime and manga everything. And though she was born twenty years prior, Hello Kitty seems to make a perfect minimalism inspired example of SUPERFLAT’s art ideals. A predecessor to modern geek chic collecting attitudes. She is the world’s best sales girl, assuming everything and representing nothing. An artfully executed image acting as a bridge to a universe of objects. And maybe it’s all because she’s missing a mouth. What do you guys think? Are minimalist ideas responsible for Hello Kitty’s worldwide success? Let me know in the comments. And if you like us, you should really consider subscribing because we’re gunna keep making these... So, you know... yeah. Man, the Instagram conversation was contentious! Let’s see what you guys had to say: megamoneybags thinks that everybody who downloads Instagram considers themselves a professional photographer. That might not be true, megamoneybags. AMMalik911 questions whether or not Instagram is even photography but Gtr1510 seems to think the opposite and makes an over nine thousand joke in the process. Point Gtr1510. … … … Yes. sexybeastfareast makes a really great comparison between Instagram and things like Meme Generator. Patience is a virtue, TheLomise Not quick enough samy134, maybe next time. Category:English Category:Complete